Introducing a Medical Miracle What if we told you there was a way to extend your lifespan by delaying or completely preventing the types of chronic illness that lead to an early death? Would you assume we were talking about an experimental wonder drug, or maybe some type of expensive treatment only available overseas? If so, you’d be wrong. The real answer is much simpler, safer, and more affordable than that, and you can find it at your local grocery store. We’re talking, of course, about a healthy diet. That’s right: The secret to long life isn’t found in million-dollar spa treatments or genetic modification—it’s held within the foods we eat every day. A popular holistic health guru puts it this way: “Every time you eat or drink, you are either feeding disease or fighting it.” And the very best way to protect your body against potentially devastating chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome is to follow a plant-based diet. What is a Plant-Based Diet? A plant-based diet is simply a diet that is composed mainly of plants rather than meat and animal-based foods. Animal-based foods include beef, pork, venison, and other red meats as well as poultry, eggs, lard, milk and dairy products, fish, and other seafood like shrimp and crab. These are the foods that you should limit, depending on which type of plant-based diet you choose to follow. So what types of plant-based diets are there? Let’s take a look: Vegans eat no meat or animal-based foods at all. Ovo-vegetarians eat eggs, but no other meat or animal-based foods Lacto-vegetarians consume milk and other dairy products, but no other animal-based foods. Ovo-lacto vegetarians eat eggs and dairy products, but no other animal-based foods. Pesco-vegetarians consume fish, but no other animal-based foods. Partial vegetarians (aka flexitarians) eat a vegetarian diet the majority of the time, but may indulge in fish or poultry a few times a week. As you can see, following a plant-based diet doesn’t have to mean giving up meat entirely. You have complete freedom to choose whichever type of plant-based diet best suits your lifestyle and personal preferences. Why You Should Follow a Plant-Based Diet Plant-based diets have gotten a bad rap in the past because previous studies tended to focus on the nutritional deficiencies they may potentially...

Easter eggs are tons of fun to color, hide, and hunt, but did you know they also make excellent snacks? In today’s post, we’ll tell you exactly why—and offer some helpful Easter egg safety tips to protect you and your family from foodborne illnesses. The Incredible, Edible Egg When it comes to nutrition, eggs have a bad rap that dates back to 1968, when the American Health Association arbitrarily recommended that Americans eat no more than three eggs per week to prevent cardiovascular disease. Nutritional science has come a long way since then, and we now know that while eggs do in fact contain a large amount of dietary cholesterol, they aren’t the “bad eggs” we once thought them to be. Here are four reasons eggs are truly incredible: Eggs are rich in lutein and zeaxanthin, powerful antioxidants that help protect your eyes from developing cataracts and macular degeneration. Eggs are protein powerhouses—a single large egg contains 6-7 grams of protein and only about 80 calories. Eggs contain all nine essential amino acids, nutrients the body needs but cannot produce on its own. Eggs are chock-full of important B-vitamins, which the body uses for metabolism and for red blood cell production. The Egg Rule New research has shown no definitive link between moderate egg consumption and cardiovascular disease in otherwise healthy people. If you do not have any major health issues, you can eat one egg per day, up to 7 per week, without raising your risk of cardiovascular complications. However, you can’t just eat more eggs and expect to be perfectly healthy. To truly protect your cardiovascular health and reap the nutritional benefits that eggs have to offer, you should eat them as part of an overall healthy diet. That means making smart food choices all day long—not just at breakfast! The Egg-ception At least one study has shown an increased risk of cardiovascular complications among participants with type 2 diabetes who eat eggs frequently. If you have type 2 diabetes, it’s best to limit your egg intake to 3 or fewer whole eggs per week. Note that we said whole eggs. The yolk contains all of an egg’s cholesterol as well as most of its nutrients, so you can have as many egg whites as you want. A typical egg white contains 4 grams of protein and...

Introducing a Medical Miracle What if we told you there was a way to extend your lifespan by delaying or completely preventing the types of chronic illness that lead to an early death? Would you assume we were talking about an experimental wonder drug, or maybe some type of expensive treatment only available overseas? If so, you’d be wrong. The real answer is much simpler, safer, and more affordable than that, and you can find it at...

Easter eggs are tons of fun to color, hide, and hunt, but did you know they also make excellent snacks? In today’s post, we’ll tell you exactly why—and offer some helpful Easter egg safety tips to protect you and your family from foodborne illnesses. The Incredible, Edible Egg When it comes to nutrition, eggs have a bad rap that dates back to 1968, when the American Health Association arbitrarily recommended that Americans eat no more...

What makes this pie so perfect? It’s straight from the kitchen of Carla Spencer, a registered dietitian here at 2YourHealth. Carla uses her nutritional expertise to make familiar dishes friendlier to folks on restricted diets–so that eating healthily doesn’t have to mean saying goodbye to your favorite foods forever! This recipe is a low-carb, diabetic-friendly version of a favorite comfort food that’s great...

Getting older is a fact of life, and at some point, we will come face to face with a health issue. And while it’s possible to curb the ill effects of issues like kidney disease or high blood pressure, there’s no way to banish these conditions entirely, and sooner or later the specter of old, ugly symptoms is bound to make itself known again. Sounds scary, right? It’s time to find a nutrition expert! The logical thing...

You and salt go way back. You have fond memories of late-night frolics with greasy french fries, kettle-cooked potato chips, and savory slices of cured meat, all slathered and soaked in glorious sodium chloride. But now you’ve reached the point in your relationship where she’s doing your heart (and kidneys) more harm than good (literally―your blood pressure is through the roof and your arteries are beginning to harden). It’s time to...